She Knows
by BleedingHeartsoftheWorldUnite
Summary: My mom said that she would be waiting for me... She said that she wanted me to come to her on my own... And she really meant it. A short look into the lives of the Burton family and Chris's future wife. OC,AU. Prequel/spin off of the re-written "Jailbait"
1. Anything But This Kind Of Death

**This is re-boot/write/vamp of my original story, "Jailbait". I love that story to pieces, but looking back at it, it was severely flawed, so, here's the correction to that! I'm not saying that it will be better, but hopefully it will be improved! And if anyone is worried about "Jailbait" getting deleted, rest assured, any previous "Robin-verse" fic will not be touched. Since originally posted, I have removed the use of song lyrics.  
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><p>It was the night before Wednesday, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mutated tyrant that originally could have been a mouse - Well, that was half true. There <em>was<em> something moving in one room of the quaint two story house. On the second story, down the T-shaped hall, over the antiqued rectangular rose rug, on the last room before the left side of the T-arm, I was laying snug in my cottony blue bed. Only, this particular night was different from every other one that came before it. I was with**_ HIM_**, the man of my dreams, and nothing could have been more perfect than this night. The fancy CD player he had gotten me for my last birthday blared dully on the cherry baseboard over our heads, beating hardcore classics from the 90s and surrounding years, like Nine Inch Nails' "Closer". I was sprawled over the plain navy covers, my arm tucked over his shoulder as he caressed me with his lips, moving up from my neck to my mouth. We were getting hot and heavy for the first time, well, it was my first time, but I didn't want to think about that. He was **MINE**, not Jill's, not Sheva's, not any other hussy's.** CHRIS REDFIELD IS MINE.**

**Five years ago...**

A woman screamed, her voice ringing out for what seemed miles. The streets of the ordinarily quiet city were rampant with the undead, the very walls crawling with the infected hell spawn they turned into. In the ensuing chaos, buildings were ravaged, cars were abandoned and in various states of disrepair, shops were little more than shelves and spilled goods, houses were left open and abandoned, and the power was naught but a wavering afterthought. The blood-red sun was low in the mountainous and dusky horizon on the third day of that hell, night was rapidly encroaching the apocalyptic city. Hundreds upon hundreds of zombies shuffled along in plain sight, searching for fresh victims to feed their insatiable taste for human flesh. The few survivors that were fortuitous enough to live this long were searching for their last escape from the city.

A twelve year old girl, runty for her age and dangerously low on sleep due to this madness, ran to the one place she thought might still have been safe from this nightmare, feet pounding faster than her heart. She had lost her mother in the initial swell of people trying to evacuate the panicked city, and she had been trying to reach safety ever since. Covered from head-to-toe in the blood, guts, and gore from the living and undead alike, the girl was drenched as if she had dove head-first into a sea of blood. But that didn't matter now; only survival mattered in this place. Why, she wasn't sure, but something in her refused to succumb to the hordes of zombies that sought to feast on her. She had to made it out of this place, she just had to.

Reaching the old prison, assuming that it would be safer than the church only because of the church's proximity to the graveyard, she slipped in through the side door with the key had looted from the pocket of a dead police officer. Cautiously, as stealthy as a cat, she looked around the hallway, her loaded berretta perfectly aligned with her line of sight. The place seemed empty at first, and that worried the girl almost enough to leave right away, but besides the thick walls of the prison, she had required more provisions. Going against her gut feeling, the girl entered the building, carefully closing the door behind her, exploring the pitch-black police station. Gun always at the ready, she reached for the very first door she found, hand slipping off something too slimy to be blood...

"Urgh!" She groaned, wiping her hand on her pants.

The door was locked away, so she continued cautiously down the hallway, opening the fourth door she tried. The others were locked, but only the first was coated in that slimy-stuff, thankfully. Proceeding after Berretta, she was relieved to see that the back-up generator was in this room and in working condition, so she turned it on, flipping all the appropriate switches. For the first time in her life, she had been glad that her father was a grease monkey and had taught her some things about generators, engines, electric systems, and all that. The power buzzed on in the room, dimly, but at least now she could see, so she looked around the room, finding a tool that would help her mix ammo on the spindly workbench. It wasn't something she had been looking for, but it was an object that would certainly come in handy, so she put it in her bag for later. Tired, she made sure the room was secure before locking the door and curling up on the workbench.

She thought about how everything had happened to her, how she had lost everyone in a single day. The day had started out sunny and bright, a prefect Friday to just laze around the school. But by noon, everything had changed. She had gotten into a fight with another girl that morning, so the school had called her mother to pick her up, and on the way home, the first of the zombies emerged. Many of the people had crashed or gotten into other accidents, and because of that, her mother had pulled the car over and told her that they would walk home. There were only a few more blocks to go before they would reach the house, but panic had swept the streets in a jolting frenzy, and the girl's mother had been swept away in the crowd. Struggling against the masses to get back to her daughter, she stopped short. Just a short ways off, a young officer had tried to contain the widespread fear by taking control of the situation, but a crazed citizen had pulled out a gun. Managing to save his own life, the officer had directed his assailant's arm in another direction...Just within arm's reach, the girl's mother fell on the sidewalk, facedown. Crying, the girl bent down on her knees and clung to her mother, unable to look away from the hole in the back of her head. Her long black hair was sticking together in a red matte, and her brain, halfway blown away, was exposed for all to see.

At first the girl had cried at lot about losing her mother like that, almost for two straight days, but when her tears had started to alert the monsters to her presence, she had no choice but to man-up if she wanted to survive. Finding a handgun and a clip from behind the counter of the store she had broken into, she aimed at the slack-jawed cannibal closest to her. Switching something off in her head, she pulled the trigger of the small gun, splattering its brains so that she and the counter were both covered. Ignoring the nasty smell, she immediately fired at the other two creatures, taking them down with only a few shots. Realizing that the shop had been compromised, she grabbed some foodstuffs from the selves and replaced them with her school things, slinging her black backpack on her back and leaving before more could come. After spending a few hours crammed up in a tree for a short, fitful sleep, she had ventured to the old jail...

The girl snapped upright, giving herself whiplash, hearing a moan from outside the door. So there _were _zombies here as well! Actually relieved to hear the moan, the girl tiptoed to the door and took a peek from behind the dusty blinds. In the frosty-white light, she made out at least two, one just outside the door, and another down the hall by a pair of barred double doors. Checking her supply of ammo, the girl thought that it would be better to travel through the ventilation system in case there was something stronger out there. Hopping on the bench, she reached out for the open vent and climbed in, but not before she kicked over a metal clamp. Drawn by the sound, the two undead began pawing at the door, but sadly they were too late; she was already looking down in the next room.

"Hm," She watched through the slits in the vent as a single monster wondered under the vent, a map of the station on the wall just opposite it.

Slowly removing the grating from the vent, she dropped from the hole on top of the creature's shoulders, like a parent holding their toddler on their shoulders. It tried to turn its head to bite her, but she was firmly planted to its neck so that it couldn't move, though she was not strong enough to snap its neck with her thighs, so she clung to it, pulling out a long hunting knife from her belt, impaling it directly in the forehead. It fell down to the hardwood floor, dead, and she stood up after pulling the weapon from its head, cleaning her knife on its blue uniform. She knew she had gotten lucky that time.

"Uh-huh," She nodded, unpinning the map from the wall and looking it over before putting it in the side of her backpack.

Examining the room more closely, it was the boss's office, smartly decorated with numerous awards and accomplishments. And it was full of ammo! Taking her pick, the girl picked up as many cases as she could carry in her bag and put in a few extra. About to leave, she noticed that there was a radio on the desk, so she clicked it on, hoping that it would reach far enough for help. This very well could have been her last shot at hope.

She was about to speak, but someone else was trying to contact the radio, "Hey, what's going on out there? Over."

"We need evac...Over." Her voice was cracked and dry, and quite frankly, she was surprised that she still had one.

"What's your location? Over?" The voice was old, tired maybe.

She looked at the map, seeing both a street address and coordinates, "I'm at the old police station on Raven and 5th, over."

"Rodger. Someone will be dispatched, so you just stay put, alright? Over." The radio flickered for a moment.

"Understood. Over," She put the radio by her knife, praying that the rescue would happen soon, "Please, I don't want to die..."

Two days later, she was still physically unharmed, using both her wits and small size to her advantage. When Barry Burton had arrived at his destination to collect the survivors, only one was waiting for him: a twelve year old girl and she had been through hell, he could tell from the half-dead scared look in her eyes, "Are the one who called?"

"..." She looked at him, muted from the shock of her experiences.

He took her home with him before the fate of the city had reached the government and the place was sanitized, and within the year, he and his wife had adopted her and given her the name Robin, for the insignia on her backpack. Robin Stacy Burton slowly regained her ability of speech over the years, but she never once showed any signs of regaining her memories from her life before the incident. Though they were concerned by that, no body minded too much, because she was happy and functioning. And even though no one knew it, Barry's close friend and old partner didn't hurt her choice to live in the present either. True, he was eighteen years her elder, but that didn't stop her from liking him.


	2. She Was Almost 16 Going On 17

**This chapter is simple, but I feel that it conveys a sense of Robin's relationship with Chris and vise versa.  
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><p>It was early spring, just before the tiny green leaves unfurled in a renewing, hypnotizing way that bewitched the mind and the blooming buds burst into a splendid display of color that distracted even the most studious mind. The day was unnaturally arid for March, and it was made even steamier by my dear father's exceptionally attractive friend, Chris Redfield. I was a mature fifteen, going on sixteen, and I've had the world's biggest crush on him ever since the day I first laid eyes on him four years ago. A fond memory to be sure, the day I first met Chris... It was shortly after arriving home for the first time, though it's so close to <em>that<em> time, I can scarcely recall it, but I do remember meeting Chris. It was my father's retirement, and no one knew he had adopted me yet, but there was a small party waiting for us when we arrived at the house, and all of his old friends were there... Rebecca Chambers, the young medic who escaped the mansion along with my father, Chris, and their partner Jill Valentine, was the only one there that was close to my age, as she was only breaching the range of twenty. I think that something might have been going on between Chris and Jill at the time, but I'm not really sure. I think that his sister, Claire Redfield, was under the same impression as me, but I didn't really speak to her because she was so busy talking to her friend 'Leon'. Well, I barely spoke at the time anyways, but if I were a little chatterbox, I still would have only exchanged a few words with her. Jill was polite and seemed kinda cool, but Chris was the one that had me from the beginning. I told myself that it was nothing, just an innocent infatuation, but even so, he was a fire burning in my soul, consuming my every breath, tormenting me with the lure I could never try to catch. Oh, how much I would have done for that man!

"Robin?" Chris worriedly pulled me from my recollections as I zoned out in in the middle of our lesson, gently shaking my shoulder.

I looked up at him dreamily, pushing away the college entrance textbook I should have been reading, "Sorry, I was just thinking...Never mind, it's not important. So, professor Redfield, why are you helping me study again this week? Don't you have a job to do?"

We both knew the irony behind my words, and we shared a laugh because of it. He had a really great government job where he saved people from viral outbreaks, such as what happened in Raccoon City, or what had reportedly happened to me. I know he had such a great job because I often spoke of joining the BSAA and joining him in the field someday. Everyone in our lives knew that I really would help him someday too, and most of them often spoke as if I was already in the BSAA, and if it weren't for my overprotective father, I already would be a member. I understand why he wouldn't let me join yet, that he was worried for my safety knowing what I would have to go through from personal experience, but it was was going to happen one way or another, and he knew it; he was just hoping that I would find something else to do with my life instead.

Chris smirked at me as if he knew something I didn't, "Little bird, you just graduated from high school, so why don't you just enjoy your free time?"

It was true, I had graduated from high school a few years early, but I had no intention stopping my ambitions for anything, "So, what is it that your going to this time?"

"Robin," He could never lie to me, and every time he tried, I always saw through it, but then again, the reverse of that was also true, "I'm going away for a while."

On one hand, I loved it when he left for work because then he would always come back with such interesting stories, but on the other, it made me feel like some insecure housewife with the way I hated seeing him leave, because I never knew if I'd see him alive again, "So, where to now?"

"A small town in Africa." He recalled from the details of his report, "Anyways, I shouldn't be gone too long."

"So why tell me?" I was upset that he didn't tell me sooner, or rather that my father didn't tell me after Chris had already left, which I preferred.

"Robin," He scolded me, "I know how you get when I leave... I just don't want you to waste your time waiting around for your time to come."

That wasn't even close to the reason why I sulked around the house when Chris would go to work. I would mope around the house because we were actually pretty close considering that he was supposed to be my father's friend, and to me and shelled life, he was my best friend. Sad, I know, when your best friend is about twice your age and has no idea that you think of him that way, but there you have it. I wasn't conceited enough to think that he felt the same about our relationship, but I could see that he still cared for me, and even if it was just as the daughter of an old family friend it was more than enough for me. After four years, I've learned to settle with the hand I've been dealt.

"So," I was not dumb enough to squander what time I had with Chris by being cross, "Africa huh? Maybe you can find a small fortune and share it with us. I suppose that you might also want enough for that sister of yours too."

He smiled, glad to see that I was being mature about this, "Little bird...You're something else."

"I'm still mad at you. Just not mad enough to scream and shout," I grinned back playfully at him slamming my book closed and shoving it way from me, "I think I've had enough of this accursed book to last me a lifetime."

"Giving up already? You really are a teenager!" He laughed.

"Shut up!" I blushed, hitting his bulging biceps.

"Little bird, little bird, I think I should probably start calling you lady bird, shouldn't I?" He stopped chortling to himself and looked at me seriously.

I was about to answer him, when of all the people for all the reasons, my father came into my room with lunch, "So, how's the studying going?"

"..." I looked at him blankly, upset that he had interrupted Chris.

"Great, I was starving!" Chris hurried up and took the plate of sandwiches from my father and began eating one right way, almost as he were glad for the interruption to cover something he didn't want to say.

My book was pushed away, so he clearly had another reason for the intrusion, "Someone's here to see you Robin."

"Who...?" I questioned myself more than my father, but of course he would answer me anyways.

"A boy from school, Darren or something like that..." He struggled to remember the boy's name, "Well, he's in the living room, so why don't you smarten up and go talk with him?"

Eww. Drake was a senior from the high school I went to, the sporty guy on the lacrosse team, but he was such a jerk! He would shamelessly flirt with all the girls, pick on the little freshmen, and would tease the artsy or smart people. Sure, he was obviously good-looking with short brown hair and a nice frame, and he wasn't that stupid himself, but he was no Chris. Chris was nice to everyone, and he never flirted, and to top it all off, he was genuinely concerned for others.

"I'll be right there," I groaned in disgust and ran my fingers through my hair, following after my father.

_**Chris's POV:**_

Much as I hated to admit it, Robin was almost all grown up now. My dear Little Bird was becoming a woman right before my eyes, wasn't she? Maturer than ever, her mind was sharpening and beginning to set, her body was changing, and now, she was even attracting the opposite sex. True, Robin never was much of a child, not after what she's been through, but still, her continual development never ceased to amaze me. And now, now that she was attracting the attention of boys...Well, it just didn't sit right with me. I wasn't even her father, but I've known Robin for what felt like years longer it really has been, and I couldn't help but care about the girl. Robin was very important to me, more than she should have been...

I remember Kathy, Barry's wife, joking a short while ago about all the time I had spent with her daughter. Barry, Kathy, Jill, and I had been drinking one night after the girls had gone to bed, and we were reminesing about the old days when the conversation shifted over to Robin, which it tended to do that more than I would have liked it to. I had almost choked on my drink when she brought it up, but Jill covered for me yet again. To this day, I still don;'t know how Barry reacted.

"I wonder sometimes who Chris really comes here for? He visits more often now than he used to, in fact, he practically lives here!" She was laughing, but ever since then, I've secretly had to question myself.

Jill ignored me as I choked on my drink, "Everyone seems to come here more...It's just so cozy."

Kathy nodded, taking another sip from her glass, "Barry did good when he brought that girl home. She's not the most open of people, but when you get to know her, she just light's up."

"Robin's a good girl," I agreed, changing the subject, "Just like her sisters."

Sure, I had started to visit Barry more often, and it seemed as if I did practically live there, but the same could be said of anyone who visited the Burton household: They were all charming people. But it was more than that, because I had found myself talking more and more often to Robin, and lately, I had come over strictly to see her. I had told myself on countless occasions, and Barry more than once, that I was only trying to help her study so that when she could join the BSAA, she would have a better chance, and that my intentions were purely those of a friend. By this point, we all knew that Robin and I were friends, they just weren't aware of how close.

But that Derrek boy or whatever his name was? I'd never heard Robin speak about him before, and she would usually tell me about her days, so what the hell did he think he was doing, coming over here to her house? However, Robin clearly didn't seem to mind the surprise visit, because she went to greet him right away, and she was even combing out her hair for the creep! So it was with her fingers, but still, she took the effort to make herself at least a little more presentable. Maybe she didn't share everything with me, but then what was she getting into at that school? I had always thought that she had a lousy social-life...


	3. Watching Airplanes

**Thank you, Salivate, for the review, that was exactly the kind of thing I want to hear; How to improve my writing! To simplify for my other readers, basically I just changed the category a little, as in characters, and I have removed the use of song lyrics altogether. Oh, and if you haven't beaten RE5, then this may or may not contain a spoiler!  
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><p>Irritated by the intrusion, I followed my father downstairs to greet our guest, but then again, I really can't call some bozo from school randomly dropping by the house a guest. Truth be told, I don't even know how he found me or why my overly protective and loving father actually told me that I had a boy visiting me. But what bothered me the most was not the prick that was asking to see me, but the fact that I had to leave the confines of my room, where I was alone with Chris. Urgh, sometimes I wished that I had been home schooled! I was, then I wouldn't have complete assholes coming over to pull me away from Chris!<p>

On the way down the stairs, before I could turn the corner and continue my descent, my father stopped me, "Robin, this Fredrick boy, he says that he knows you. Is that true?"

For a moment I contemplated telling him no and just returning to my room and the person in it, but I decided that I should tell Drake to get lost for myself so he got the message, "He's someone I know from school...Don't worry daddy, I'll take care of it!"

Winking at him, I zipped down the stairs two at a time to the sitting room. Polly was sitting in front of the T.V., watching some documentary that involved a ton of blood, and Moira was meditating beside her sister. Drake was standing uncomfortably behind the couch with my mom, looking around at the house, hands in his pockets. I sighed wearily and walked over to my sisters, kissing Polly's head and tapping Moira's back with my toe.

"Oh, Robin, I was just going to go find your father," My mom walked over to me and hugged me, whispering into my ear, "I'll go keep your father busy so you can talk in private."

She smiled brightly, grabbing something from behind the kitchen wall and pulling it from sight, someone I knew to be my father. I cringed, ashamed that my mother thought I would like someone like Drake... Well, it's not like I could have told anyone about Chris, or too many clues about the kind of guy I liked, least someone get suspicious. Sometimes it was really hard having a cop be a father... Or a friend. I actually had to give myself a pat on the back for hiding the fact that I liked anyone, expect the detective duo, at times they seemed to suspect me.

"Entertaining company?" I teased them, also asking what they thought about him "How was he?"

Moira opened her eyes, glaring at me for breaking her concentration, "Polly was talking to him earlier, ask her."

Polly looked up at me from the flat screen, "He's a big baby! He almost fainted when they showed the blood oozing out of her!"

I smirked at my precious little sisters, speaking to him for the first time, "Girls go play outside, I have some work to do. Drake?"

Polly paused her video and opened the door for her sister, and Moira stood up, giving me a 'let him have it' nod, "Behave yourselves."

I puckered my lips and nodded seriously, "Like an adult."

Drake watched them leave and looked at me, "Robin-"

I cut him off coldly, "No, _you_ listen to me first! I don't know what you want with me, but I'm not interested. Maybe you've watched too many teen movies were the popular guy goes for the dork and gets her in the end, but this is no movie, this is my life! Tell everyone what you will, but I'm not interested in high school boys; I like rugged men who've lived life, thank you very much!"

"O-kay," He whistled uncomfortably at my uncalled for rant, "I was just going to ask you if you had a job offer or not yet, because my mom really wants you to come work for her."

I blushed, my foot way too far into my mouth to make a recovery, "Oh...Sorry about all that...I...Tell your mom thanks, but no thanks."

He nodded, seemingly glad to leave, and left me standing there like an idiot. Moira and Polly must have been standing there longer than I thought, because I felt them hugging me tight. I shook my head, brushing the incident off and hugging my sisters back. Though we weren't related by blood, we were still sisters to the end, and I was grateful of that at this moment more than I usually was. It wasn't that I cared about Drake, but the thought that someone might actually like me...Well, it made me feel good about myself. I might act like I don't care, but at the end of the day, I'm a person with feelings, so my sisters being there for me made my day. Even if I withered and died, a lonely spinster, I knew that they would always love me, so that was enough to sustain me and my wounded pride.

"Mo, Po!" I crushed them against me tight enough to explode their tiny little heads, knocking their domes together.

"Gerf orf!" Polly shoved us all apart, gasping for air.

Moira adjusted herself when she was free from my grasp, "Ro, get hit your books."

I smiled at them, leaving them to go back to whatever they were doing before, "Kay."

Polly popped up from the back of the couch like a jack-in-the-box on crack before I was out of sight, "Don't worry, we won't tell dad."

I looked back at her, one hand on the polished staircase, "Won't tell him what?"

She merely shrugged, twisting around and returning to her movie. Troubled by her cryptic actions, I shelved the paranoia and went back to my room, hoping that Chris had left me a sandwich. But what was Chris getting at before we were interrupted? It must have been something, because he attacked the helpless sandwiches as if they were the last life preserver in shark-infested waters. Well, I'll let it go for now, because I'm not in the mood for a debate or just any kind of a heavy conversation...

**A few days later...**

Just a few miles outside the airport, just hours before Chris had to leave for Africa, we were siting at a rundown park, yellow-green grass blowing lazily and chipping brown picnic tables, all covered in graffiti and craved with profanity were shaded by large pines. A lone swing swung back and forth with a jarring creak in the gentle breeze. My father was too busy to see Chris off with me, a tradition for as long as I could remember, so it was just the two of us. Just what I didn't need.

"Little bird, you don't have to be so brave all the time," He had just been telling me how he wanted me to 'live life and have fun' before we arrived at this lovely location.

He was sitting on top of the table, and I bent my head back to look at him, "That's easy for you to say...You're not in my head, you don't know what could happen to me if I let it all out."

We weren't fighting, but we had gotten into an argument just before arriving at the park. Honestly, I wasn't even sure what we were bickering about, but somehow I think it had something to do with Drake. After I had returned to my food-less room, Chris had asked what that was all about, and I told him that it was nothing. I thought that it died there, but shortly after that, Drake called me on his mother's behalf, which I could tell he would much rather have had to shave a llama than talk to me again, but Chris must have taken it another way. Good a friend as he was, sometimes it was annoying when he acted like a second father to me.

He was about to say something, but I cut him off before things could escalate, "I'm sorry, that was out of line...You're right, I do need to work on being vulnerable with others. Maybe Drake can come over and show me a thing or two," I added to irritate him one last time before rectifying the situation, "You can relax, I wouldn't go near that pig if you paid me to. In fact, the minute I spoke to him, I told him off rather harshly, and he was only there in the first place because of his mother."

Chris seemed to brighten up a little, and his mood had suddenly taken a better turn, "That's my little bird."

"Hm, I wish I was just a little bit older, so then I could go with you," I caught the doleful tone in my own voice, so I quickly tried to recover, "Someone needs to cover your ass out there."

"If I'd trust anyone besides Jill, you'd be at the top of that list," He dimmed again, obviously thinking back to Jill lunging out of that window to kill Wesker.

Even though I missed her as well, and for his sake a tiny part of me wished that she was still alive, I selfishly knew that if Jill were alive, I would be nothing to him, "Maybe not quite the top."

He was curious about what I meant, but I shook my head, "Just a few inner demons."

We looked at the sky, lost in our own heads. I couldn't possibly guess what he was thinking, but right now I was pretty sure that I was a million miles away from him. But I was a realist, partially, so I know that people don't always think of other people. Even now my mind, even with the stomach-wrenching guilt, was thinking of myself... Of how I had benefited from Jill's sudden demise, of how terrible that made me feel to think that hey, now that she's out of the picture, I can spend more time with Chris. I hated myself for those humanly thoughts, especially since I knew that nothing ever could come from my friendship with Chris. This feeling may have felt so much worse if it were possible, so for once, I was slightly less miserable about the fact that my wish was unattainable. But if I were able to be Chris's, I wouldn't deserve him, and he would have been much better off with someone else much better than me.

**Chris's POV:**

We fell silent after I carelessly mentioned Jill's name. I would have been lying if I said that Jill was only my partner, that we hadn't given a more personal relationship the old college try. She was special to me, as I was to her, but something never really clicked between us. We talked about it, but we never could find the answer of why it just never worked out for us... In the end, we just remained very close friends and old partners. In the end... Those words had always just seemed like empty words to me, until I had lost Jill at the hands of Albert Wesker. Wesker! Given the price paid, I was resentful in a sense that he had died, because I had always wanted to finish off the bastard myself. To prove that he really was never coming back...

I glanced at Robin form my peripherals, thinking of how relived I was that she would never have to face off against Wesker when she joined the BSAA...

**Moira's POV:**

I was sitting with Polly in Robin's room, waiting for our sister to return home. Polly was poking around her stuff, looking for a diary or some other scrap of useful information to help us figure out the mystery, and I was watching her from the bed. Robin might have had a diary, but either way, I wouldn't have been surprised. Polly, on the hand, was insistent that Robin must have had some sort of an outlet, and to say that she was determined to find it was a monumental understatement.

"Po, give it up already...We're already in her room without permission." I gently reminded my sister.

She looked up from the dresser that Robin had repaired and hand-painted herself, a pair of lacy mauve underwear in her hand, "Puh-lease! Since we're already in dangerous territory, is it natural to do what is necessary? Don't you want to know?"

I bit my lip, very curious to know if our hunch was correct or not, "But if it is true, I doubt that she would leave evidence that could incriminate her if dad ever found it."

Polly shrugged, "Serves her right then, if she wasn't smart enough to use some sort of code."

I couldn't argue that, but still, it felt wrong to resort to this first before just asking Robin, "Well, it would never hurt to look."

Producing a scarlet book with fancy black lettering from the back side of the black pillowcase, I handed Polly the book. She took it from me, upset that I had known where it was the entire time. Flicking it open, we confirmed that it was Robin's handwriting on every page. Skimming the first few pages for a codex, we didn't find any clues, but sooner rather than later, Polly pointed to a short snippet that looked like what we needed. The area was surrounded by doodles of hearts, so that was a help. We read the entire page, trying to figure out the code she was using in her diary, and it must have taken an hour to figure out the first half of the sentence, which was still riddled in translation error...


	4. Lean On Me

**Fine, I'll admit now that this chapter is more dialogue-oriented than the others. Maybe too much so, but meh. This chapter is a look at what happens to Robin when Chris leaves and her relationship with her family. Mostly fluff, but some pain.**

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><p>Removing a modest scarlet book with intricate black lettering from the back of the black pillowcase, Moira handed Polly the sought-after book. She snatched it from her hands, upset that Moira had most likely known where it was the entire time. Flicking it open carelessly, they confirmed that it was my scrawling handwriting on every page. Skimming the first few pages for a codex to use, the darling duo didn't find any clues as to the code I was using, but sooner rather than later, Polly pointed to a short snippet that looked like what was needed. The area was the one stupidly surrounded by doodles of hearts, so that was a help to them and anyone else trying to read my diary. They read the entire page, trying to figure out the code I was using in the diary, and it must have taken no less than an hour to figure out the first half of the sentence, which was still riddled in translation error... At least that's what I placed together when I saw my sister's in my room, heads together on my bed. While they studied like monks, I watched them from the doorway, sluggishly creeping up behind them.<p>

"Mo, any luck figuring out what this part says?" Polly pointed to something in the book, to which Moira only shook her head.

I stopped just behind them, mimicking our father on the rare occasion that he actually scolded us, "Maybe it says something about harming noisy little girls?"

They jumped out of their skins by good two feet, proving that my unhurried stealth was well worth it, and when they looked at me with the deer-in-the-headlights look, this triumphant moment was forever immortalized in my memory, "What were you two looking for? I'm guessing that you didn't find it?"

"Don't be angry," Moira ran to my side and hugged me, like a child who had unintentionally hurt their parents' feelings, "We just needed to know-"

"Have you been crying?" Polly was about to confess everything, still crouched over exhibit A, but when she looked into my eyes, she noticed that they were red and puffy and swollen.

I closed my eyes for a moment, stumbling over to my bed so I could lie on my stomach with my face turned to them, "Tell me your story, then I'll tell you mine."

They sat next to me, Moira curling up in my arms and Polly lazing by my head, playing with my hair, "Robin, we're sorry we went snooping around your room while you weren't home."

"You twerps should know that you can just come to me," I kicked my brown flip flops off onto the floor with the rest of my discarded heap of footwear, "But I guess it's better than going to mom and dad."

They nodded shamefully, deciding to ask me whatever it was that they wanted to know, Polly doing most of the talking, "No one ever talks about it, but isn't it odd that you don't have a boyfriend? You're almost an adult, but you've never once brought a guy home, and no one sees you with boys at school... But Mo and I have been watching you. We've been taking notes and analyzing every little thing that you do. Even though it's never spoken of, we think we've discovered why you've been so alone."

I cringed, ready to hear them say that I liked Chris, but even through the shock and fear of my little sisters being the ones to figure it out, I was proud of them for their investigative prowess, "And?"

Moira, who I thought might have fallen asleep before she propped herself up on one elbow, took over for her sister, but she didn't look back at me, which I thought was weird for her, "Are you...? Robin, are you a lesbian?"

I couldn't help it when I burst out laughing, "You guys thought that I was a lesbian! I'm sorry, that's just the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

They looked at each other, a mixture of confusion, relief, and disappointment on their faces, "But everything pointed to your liking girls."

"What made you think that?" I was still laughing so hard; I could feel tears running down my cheeks.

"You don't hang out with guys-"

"You drive that hideous monster-"

"You wear really nice underwear-"

I looked at Polly in alarm, "What? Did you go through my dresser?"

She looked away guiltily, "I might have been looking..."

I rolled my eyes, choosing to just let that one slide, "Well, was that all?"

They nodded in unison, "Basically."

"Po, Mo, I'm not into girls..." I trailed off, wondering just how much to tell them, "I like a guy... But it's one that I could never be with."

It was Moira's turn to say something off-putting this time, "Dad?"

I almost threw up in my mouth, "No. It doesn't matter who, alright?"

Polly guessed again, "Oh, I know! It's Auntie Claire's friend, Leon!"

Ok, I had to give her that one. Leon wasn't too bad, but the way he traded Sherry Birkin for his cushy job in the secret service never sat right with me. I mean, she was only a little girl! But I guess that that's the only way a rookie cop can make it to the top. I remembered telling him that too, in a more polite way of course, when he and Claire had stopped by for a surprise visit last summer. And what did he do? He actually liked that I called him out! So weird. But I guess one could say that we became a little better than acquaintances but not quite friends from the incident.

Moira disagreed with her sister almost instantly, "No, Ro's already given us a clue...Remember when she said that she likes 'manly-men that live life'? Leon's cute, super cute, but he's too much of a pretty boy."

"You think Leon's cute?" I diverted the attention from me for a minute, a tad curious that my sweet little Moira would like someone like him, "Really?"

Cleverly covering her tacks, she cleared her throat to begin again, "I mean from a certain perspective... I don't think that personally."

Moira might have said that, but I knew that she faking it, "And what about Polly?"

She made faces like she was having a seizure, "I'll pass on Mr. Girl. No, I think that Jill's friend from Raccoon City was hot..."

"Carlos?" I was slightly surprised to hear Polly say that, but at least that meant that Chris was fair game.

Polly suddenly remembered our agreement, "So, what's your story? Why were you crying?"

**Earlier that day...**

I drove directly from the airport back to the house in my cute little jeep, complete with paint-covering mud splats and tattered black leather interior, thrumming my fingers anxiously against the steering wheel. Chris and I had parted on good terms, thankfully, but now that he was gone...I missed him so much. I could actually feel my chest being torn open, the space seeming to get bigger the further away we were from each other. Trying to outrun the pain, I drove recklessly fast with the radio blaring out angry music, but I couldn't get away from it, so I turned off the jeep before I got home. I pulled the green monster off the road, parking in an empty clearing of dead nature and a few far off buildings. And then I fell forward against the wheel, crying my heart out. My shoulders were trembling worse than an addict during withdraw, and my eyes were quickly too full of tears to see anything at all. And I must have stayed like that for at least an hour...

**Back in the room...**

I looked at my sisters' expectant faces, so I buckled and told them truthfully, "I was coming back from the airport-"

"Did Chris make you cry? So help him if I found out that he did!" Polly rushed to my defense, but Moira smacked the back of her head for interrupting.

Frowning deeply, Moira smacked her sister, "Let her tell the story!"

Polly nodded apologetically, "Sorry, Robin."

I shook my head, "No, that's alright... Anyway, I was coming back from the airport, and I saw the saddest thing; A baby deer that had been run over. I stopped my jeep and got out to bury it, but I saw that it was still alive! Moving it off the road, I did my best to treat it... But it died in my arms, and it was so sad, so I ended up crying for a while."

I didn't want to lie to my sisters, but I wanted to tell them the real reason even less. They accepted my story, but I think that they knew I was lying. They were good kids...

**Kathy's POV:**

Laundry, laundry, laundry! I was swimming up to my ears in laundry between the towels, the bedding, Barry's clothes, my clothes, and the girls' clothes**. **Taking a break between cycles, I was watching the weather channel so I could plan when to spend a day with the family, hopefully outside for a picnic**. **As I watched with growing disinterest, I suddenly remembered that today was the day that Barry and Robin would be seeing Chris off to the airport. But Barry was too busy working to go, so that left Robin to do it by herself... I looked down at my watch, seeing that three hours had passed since she had left the house. Worried, I checked on the girls before slipping out to go find Robin. The girls were old enough to be alone for a while, and besides, they were well behaved. Getting into the mini-van, I drove slowly, eyeballing every single thing in my way, hoping to see Robin on her way home. Thank the Lord; she was parked a few miles from the house, curled up in the front seat, bawling her eyes out.

"Honey!" I parked next to her and got into the passenger seat of her jeep, "What happened?"

She looked at me, falling against my shoulder without really seeing who I was, "He's gone...He's going so far away from me...Who knows if he ever comes back alive?"

I took a deep breath, patting her shoulder even though I wanted to cry, knowing what this meant, "I know, Sweetie... It's such a hard thing; loving a man of action who lives such a dangerous life... Gallivanting around the globe for days on end to face all kinds of unnatural threats...Leaving us behind to worry every minute of every day, wondering if you'll ever see him again, thinking of all the lost things that you never got to say. It's hell, thinking about how they might never come back home to us."

Robin gradually looked up at me as my words sank in, as if she was afraid to see me, "What are you saying...?"

Ever since she first saw Chris Redfield four years ago, I knew that Robin had had a small crush on him. Any good mother could tell that sort of thing about her daughter, and I knew it even before we were properly introduced. We all knew that she did, but it was cute, so no one really took it seriously even though she was twelve at the time, least of all Chris. In fact, he seemed to think that she had outgrown it rather quick, everyone did, but she had only gotten better at hiding how she felt. It was only until recently that I myself was thinking that it was just a fleeting feeling, but there have been several indicators over the years to force me to accept the truth: Robin really did love Chris. She had suffered in silence for such a long time, but the feelings inside her have only grown by leaps and bounds... And now that she was a woman, it must have been hell, knowing just how close it was to being real. But knowing her, she won't see that until something happens...

"Who do you think I am? Robin, you know you can tell me anything," I patted her knee due to the awkward position we were in, "Honey-baby, I'm here for you."

She wiped her eyes, shaking her head at the same time, "Oh, mom! It just hurts so much... This feeling inside is ripping me apart!"

"There, there, mommy's here," I leaned across the seat, holding her as close to me as I could, "Shush, baby. We can talk about it when you're ready."

She nodded against my chest when the tears finally stopped, "Can you take me home?"

I kissed her head, "Of course I can! I'll take you back in the jeep so you can go lie down in bed, and then I'll walk back here for the van."

I could tell that she wanted to object, but we both knew that was going to be of no use behind the wheel, so she just switched places with me, "Thank you for coming...I love you, mom."


	5. Mother Knows Best

**I am so sorry to do this, but I was thinking about the time line, and there is a gaping hole in it! Suffice it to say, this will not be the fic I meant it to be, however, I will leave it posted as the unofficial prequel/spinoff to the story I actually mean to write. In terms of the games, think of it as Gaiden (which I never played) or Outbreak (Also a game I haven't played). It happens, but it contradicts the main storyline, so therefore, it never did happen. I'm really sorry, but after this last chapter, which will probably fall flat on its short face, I WILL start work on the OFFICIAL version of my story.  
><strong>

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><p>My mom said that she would be waiting for me... She said that she wanted me to come to her on my own... And she really meant it. After I had lied to the girls, I had went to sleep so my body could recharge itself, but the time was so strange, or maybe just the day itself, I had woken up either very early in the morning or late at night. Wandering through the house, I stopped in the kitchen for something to eat... Maybe some left overs and something hot to drink or some chicken noddle soup. With my head poking in the refrigerator, someone entered the kitchen behind me and started to make a pot of coffee. I looked back, somehow unsurprised to see my mother standing there behind me.<p>

She smiled warmly at me, "Did you sleep alright?"

I closed the door, nothing in my hands as I did so, "Mom... I'm ready to talk..."

She nodded, not saying a word as she spoke with her eyes, "Robin, you're safe here. No matter what, I'll protect and love you. We all will."

I sat down next to her, "Mom... You've known the entire time, haven't you?"

"What ever do you mean?" She cocked her head to the side, wanting me to say the words myself.

I took a deep breath, saying this outloud for the first time, "How I feel about Chris...That I love him."

"Honey, you might have a shell thicker than the dickens, but you're as clear as the sky above," She patted my knee, "You've just been blessed enough to live complete block heads."

I chuckled, "I guess I am... Mom, do you think dad knows?"

She looked up at the ceiling, "I think that... Barry knows somewhere deep down, but like all fathers, he lives in denial that his daughter is capable of falling in love."

I thought of Chris, the last time I had seen him, "But luckily for him, it is a one-sided coin."

She shook her head, "My dear, you never can know what another person is truly capable of. Even after all these years, your father can still manage to surprise me."

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><p><strong>Told you so.<br>**


End file.
